Reika-sama – 123

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In Japan, there is a folk belief regarding wooden buildings. When a tree is cut and used as a wooden pillar, if it is placed upside-down relative to its position in life, it can make strange noises at night, bring the house misfortune, or even engender disasters.

In a twist of the regular folklore are the patterned pillars of the Youmeimon gate at Nikkou Toushouguu shrine. One of them has reversed patterns but is said to be deliberate as a means of warding off a calamity that was prophesied to occur upon the perfection of the temple.

I woke up early the next morning and went to school an hour early.

After walking down the empty hallway I glanced into Wakaba-chan’s classroom. Good. Nobodywas here yet.

I had already checked in advance which desk was Wakaba-chan’s. All that was left now was to hide my letter in it. I then dashed out of the room before anybody caught me!

When I entered my own empty classroom, the elation of accomplishment welled up inside me. Mission complete.

Inside that letter was a list of things to be careful about if you were going to attend Zui’ran. No running outside while wearing our uniform, no napping on the train in our uniforms, avoid running in the hallways, stuff like that. Also other things like no rainboots, no raincoats, fans were fine but only folding fans and not uchiwas, no earmuffs, just as many things like that that I could think of. I mean, I didn’t think any high school girl in Tokyo was going to be wearing a raincoat to school, but after remembering the gumboots I realised that it could actually happen one day so I wrote it down anyway.

I also made sure to write down warnings for the Pivoine. Actually, you could say that this was the key focus of my letter. Don’t approach the reserved seats, move out of the way for members if they’re coming the other way, oh, and when it came to upperclassmen pretty much everybody did that along with a greeting and bow while waiting for them to pass. I even added in little details like which the President’s favourite menu items were and that it would be better to avoid ordering those.

I also included a list of every Pivoine member in high and middle school. The little peony badges could be hard to see so it was better to know them by face. I didn’t know all of the Petite members myself so I didn’t include them. The Petite salon was separate from ours so it would probably be okay. I did note that they sometimes had older siblings in the Pivoine proper though, so it would be better not to make light of them for being little. Of particular note was Yukino-kun in year one who was better to stay away from entirely.

Other advice included a list of names of the more reliable teachers, as well as a list of teachers who were completely in the Pivoine’s camp.

The letter also included a warning that if she went looking for ingredients in Zui’ran or if she was feeding a cat or other possible scenarios that she made sure to check her surroundings for possible onlookers first. Of course I couldn’t just write ‘Be careful while foraging for food!’ it would pretty much give me away right off the bat.

Ah, yes. This letter was written anonymously of course. To avoid being identified the envelope was blank and I avoided handwriting as well. For a while I considered using gloves to avoid fingerprints too, but then I remembered that this wasn’t a crime or anything so I decided not to bother.

My own safety came first which is why I couldn’t just cover for her in public, so the best I could do was help her avoid trouble with this. My apologies.

Just in case, the letter included an afternote that asked her not to show it to anybody else. I’m counting on you, Wakaba-chan. Please don’t suddenly go “Huh~? What’s this letter here~?” the moment you step into class.

*

*

I had come a whole hour early so now that I had delivered the letter there wasn’t anything for me to do. What now…

I looked out the window and saw members of the sports club already hard at practice. I never really thought about it.

After thinking about it for a little, if Wakaba-chan came early and saw the letter, with nobody else around I would be outed on the spot. It might be a good idea to find somewhere else to spend the time, at least until more students came. Maybe the salon~?

Suddenly, the idea of going to the usually abandoned library occurred to me. I could begin secretly studying in preparation for the next exams. Ohh! What a model student I am!

So when I arrived at the library I was shocked that people were already there. It occured to other students to study early in the morning!?

I took a seat in the corner and began skimming through today’s work. I was making a lot more progress here in the library since there were less distractions than in my room at home. Maybe it would be better to do all my studying here.

In my concentration I didn’t notice the time pass. Before I knew it the majority were at school already, so I picked up my bag and went back to class. Taking the chance, I took a peek at Wakaba-chan as well, but she didn’t behave any differently so I could relax for the moment.

Waking up early was starting to take its toll on me. I was really sleepy. I decided not to fight it so I opened mr textbook, leant my chin in my hands, faced downwards and then took a nap as I pretended to study.

Thanks to this flawless technique and my mastery of it, not once had I been caught napping in class before.

*

*

Later that day I stayed back because of my duties as a class rep. I hadn’t managed to get the busywork for the handouts done during break time, so I was doing them now. Not that I minded though, since I didn’t have club activities today anyhow.

While we were working, Class Rep lowered his voice and began to tell me about his progress with Miharu-chan.

“You know, it kind of feels like recently I’m getting to talk with Honda-san more. Nonose-san is in our class so she comes to visit sometimes too. When that happens the two of them sometimes come talk to me.”

“Goodness, lucky you.”

“Hehe. We only began talking after that field trip when Nonose-san took over your class rep duties. Honda-san helped that time too, and we ended up chatting a lot. After that Nonose-san and I started to get to know each other better. She was the one who told me that Honda-san was getting close with a boy, remember? It turns out that it wasn’t anything romantic. Well, not that I asked directly though.”

“I see~”

“It turns out that Honda-san just thinks that Enjou-kun is really cool. Apparently that isn’t the same as liking him romantically though. Actually, she said she thought he suited you.”

“Haaah!? What on earth does that mean!?” I couldn’t help but shout.

That wasn’t something I could overlook.

“Eh-, ah, ummmm~ …On the other hand, Nonose-san said that Kaburagi-kun was more suited to you, but I told them that I was neutral.”

“Mm, of course I am. If I can help then I will. The reason I got closer to Honda-san recently is thanks to you being late during the excursion as well, Kisshouin-san. I knew I could count on you, Love Guru!”

“Well, you are welcome. But more importantly, you need to dispel strange rumours about Enjou-sama, Kaburagi-sama and I!”

“Mmmmm…”

“Class Rep!”

“I mean, I want to help, but these rumours have been around since primary school. I’m not sure it would even be possible to clear them up.”

“What!?”

Why!? I almost never interacted with them!

I fell onto my desk in shock.

I didn’t want to gain enemies because of these baseless rumours that I didn’t know about, and if those two knew then what was most mortifying was if those two thought I really was interested in them!

And what if I became even more unpopular because of this…

“Oh? Kisshouin-san, some of your curls are going the other way you know?”

“Eh?”

I raised my head from the desk to find Class Rep lightly pulling some of the hair behind my head.

“See? Just this area.”

I used a pair of mirrors to check the back of my head. It was true. Looking carefully, about ten of the curls further in were actually going the wrong way.

“What on earth!?”

A flaw in my perfect hair!

“Nobody would have noticed since they’re so far in. I only saw them by chance too.”

My hair was permed, so it must have been a careless mistake…

Oh no… It might have been hidden, but would it be better to get my hair permed again…? I might not have noticed so far but now that I knew it was really bothering me.

“It feels like a good omen somehow.”

Class Rep was carefree while I was upset about it.

Stop treating my hair like the pillar of Youmeimon!

*

The next day I arrived at school to find a pleased-looking Class Rep headed my way.

“Today I happened to meet Honda-san in front of the gates, and then we talked about classwork all the way until the classrooms. It’s thanks to your blessing, Guru!”

“I see…”

This morning I checked countless times to make sure that they weren’t visible.

I wonder how that even happened though.

…Could it be that they foresaw calamity upon the perfection of my hair and deliberately left it incomplete!? Then maybe these locks of hair were actually Evil-Warding Hair Locks!

“Those reversed curls are a bit like a four-leafed clover aren’t they.”

“…”

As expected of the maidenly Class Rep… I see. So to a maiden a four-leafed clover would come to mind before a temple warding against evil then.

“I’ve even got plans with Honda-san and Nonose-san to study for the upcoming exams together. I’ve been really lucky since discovering those curls yesterday.”

“Good for you…”

Well, I suppose if he was happy about it then I was too. Studying with the person you like. It was a heart-thumping and irresistible scenario to any maiden. I’ve liked the idea since my last life. Not once had it actually happened though.

*

So apparently these aren’t anti-evil curls, but good-luck curls instead. If you happen to catch sight of them, they’ll bring you good luck, you know?

I think during the first semester/quarter I also prayed but then to no avail…I switched to voodoo stuff. Like just how I was rewatching jikogu shoujo and death note to de-stress while wishing Ai Enma was real and ask them to kill off trigo or how I wish I had a death note.😋
My classmate who I got into watching anime even went and bought a voodoo doll (the plastic kind) went to school early and placed it on our teacher’s table…everyone in the faculty were creeped out by it they have decided to install CCTV cameras 😂😂😂ತಎತ
Srsly having three math classes back in sophomore was HELL!! 🔥

Lololol. True though. But sometimes just for fun we used quadrants for the parking lot or if there are some few ticket officers and we go ‘oh it’s just that the initial velocity and sudden stop from motion to 0 is blah blah’ but ticket officer begs to differ so…they’ll just go 1+1 and you’ve gotta pay now 😂

Thank you. Who needs sleep when Reika-Sama gets updated!?!!?
Lol I can totally see Wakaba taking that note as a threat…
“Stay away from the President.”
“Don’t eat her favourite meals.”
“Don’t be seen in public.”
Etc.

Stuffing myself with food while reading this is absolutely a no-go. I almost choked from laughing too much.
😂😂😂😂
The reverse drills are now being considered a luck charm, like some sort of little God resides on that reverse curls…just thinking about it😂 And wow, Reika-sama is sooo kind giving out that letter to wakaba…but since Enjou’s on the same class I think the probabilities of him finding out that it’s Reika’s doing is gonna be high. Thank you so much for the update Estelion/Sneika!!😊

And really, despite having so little interaction between Reika-sama, Bakaburagi and Enjou the rumors about them must be insane 😂

You keep forgetting that they might not interact that much but Reika is the only girl both of them initiate a conversation with with their own will. Most of the girls they talk with never leave them alone, only Reika is the one they willing interact with, even with her attempts to avoid them.

now that you’ve said it.. I also guess that not long after wakaba get the letter, enjou will find it out. in the worst case though it will be just wakaba asked enjou:
enjou-sama what actually the means of this letter..
do you know who’s actually the person that put the letter there?
and enjou will probably answer..
“it’s actually a good advice for you. no harm will be done if you follow all things written in the letter, wakaba-san. all is well.” while smiling mischieviously
and when reika know..
“I already ask you to not tell. please don’t tell. why did you still tell?” hopelessly said😓😢

Napping in class/work is apparently fairly normal in Japanese society. They expect you to lose sleep from an unreasonable workload then when you pass out or go to sleep when you’re supposed to be learning or listening it’s proof you’re a hard worker. Never mind the fact that if they didn’t sleep in class they wouldn’t have to stay up late to learn what they missed.
The end result is a lot of sleep deprivation and incredibly pissed of foreigners having to deal with employees sleeping in during important meetings because meetings are actually nap time.

She just said it’s something she expects to be caught for.
Also it’s a trope-y thing that happens in anime where a teacher rudely awakens a student. So whether it makes sense IRL, it doesn’t seem to apply here.

I can smell a new religion, lol. “The Good Luck Curl of Love”, if you see those, it will boost your luck 180% in love case and 70% in everyday case. Please offer some sweets to the deity and you will have the better chance to see it!

Anyway, the rumour is actually make Reika more popular. The students are divided between EnjouReika ship and KaburagiReika ship. I wish there is triangle love ship, but so far we only see two ship.

It’s kinda cute. The fact that she identifies with her curls, has all this specific advice for Wakaba and casually throws out a line of poetry in reference to her harvesting spring greens shows that’s she’s really turned into an ojousama.

“How to Survive Suiran 101 for Dummies”
Author: Kisshouin Reika
Book Description:
A comprehensive manual containing tips and tricks in order to ensure daily survival inside the premises of Suiran. This includes the pecking order within the school as well as the codes of conduct that must be displayed at all times, etc. This book is solely dedicated to Takamichi Wakaba.

Reika’s Declassfied Suiran Survival Guide
“In a school full of [Pivoine], insane [shippers], and [mouth-watering] school lunches, Kisshouin Reika—that’s me—will try to do the impossible: create a guide that will help you survive school.”

Translator #2

When not swimming with polar bears or sleeping in an igloo, likes to stare at incomprehensible moon runes believing them to be messages from the ancestors. Until the caribou meat runs out. Was promoted to Deputy? Arbiter by a wandering Sheeprabbit on a hunt one day and brought to a place named after some person called Chan, Onii.

Translator #3

Translator #4

Hey everyone, I'm Kou-san and I translate stuff.
I hopped on board because my social life was dying and I needed something to keep me from descending into darker chuuni pits. Now, back to learning how to run on water...

Translator #8

Hello, Kudarajin de~su! I'm just a student passing by, translating stuff! Started this since there was a series I really liked that I wanted to share with everyone. I'm trying to share the joy I feel when I read web novels with more people around the world! Now that my self-introduction is over, back to my glorious plan to turn everyone in the world into bookworms...

Translator #9

Graphical Editor #1

Graphical Editor #2

It was a dark and stormy night...the little slug, abandoned by all of it's friends, moved onwards. It undertook a hard and unwelcome journey. The ground was slippery cobblestone, all sunny-gleam and glass-sharp marble gluing the jagged edges together to resemble something beautiful. Walking upon the path would have hurt the slug, considering all the jagged pebbles knocked aside to and fro that it had to crawl over, if not for the water that fell from the sky and aided the slug's way to a place of suitable shells. And on the slug continued on this path, a little nervous but a lot determined, until two long shadows coalesced and stood in its way. "Slug! It's a slimy slug!" one crowed mockingly, laughing cruelly along with other shadows in a discordant symphony as they loomed over the slug, dark and threatening. "I'm not a slug!" it said in response, even as it flinched back. "I am a snail, like the rest of the snails. I just have no shell." The shadows did not seem to hear, and they surrounded the slug, holding sticks and tossing it around. "Stop!" the slug cried, but they did not stop. The rain spilled over the slug, until it didn't, and the slug lay helpless on the side of the streets, unmoving. There were many voices, screeching their victory as they walked into the distance, and the slug was bitterly reminded of the insults its siblings had told it. It did not resist as it was kicked harshly by a passing object and thrown into the air, landing on its soft underside so quickly it faded into unconsciousness, prone and helpless to any that wanted to eat it. It sadly thought that, perhaps, its siblings had been right. However, the slug did not die. It came to, after a long, long time, to see a large, patterned rock. "...Hello?" the slug whispered mutely, voice weak and barely audible, not expecting an answer. But surprisingly, the rock moved, revealing a wisened head that craned over to look at the slug. "Hello," it greeted calmly, "What are you? I have not seen any like you before." The slug took a long moment to comprehend its words, and even then, it felt floored. Someone who had not heard of slugs at all? "I...am a snail, who has no shell, seeking a place of suitable shells that will fit me, like the shells in the place of suitable shells near my home that fit my kin." "Is that so?" the other asked. "I cannot understand, for this shell of mine has been mine ever since my birth. I can, however, understand the need for a shell to watch your back and hide you away from the world, if that is why you wish for a shell." "It is," the slug replied. "It must be a joy to you, to have a shell crafted for you for your lifetime." "But I cannot choose another," the other answered, "While you can." It was a long, quiet moment of contemplation before the other spoke again. "Do you think this shell of mine is good?" The slug was startled, but it answered willingly enough. "Yes." "Do you think this shell of mine is strong?" "Yes," the slug answered, this time a lot more slowly, bemused. The other gave a tiny, weak smile. "Do you think this shell of mine is suitable?" The slug did not hesitate. "Yes," it said, and it could not have said anything more profound. "What are you?" the slug finally queried. "I am a turtle." And the turtle smiled wider, kindly. It may have been just a feeling. It may have been just a thought. But the turtle also said these very words: "You are a snail with a shell." And even though the turtle's shell was all lines and edges and angles, and the shells of the snail's brethren were all curls and swirls wrapping itself into rings of promise, the slug was a snail with a shell, and that was all that mattered.